FBCMW, 11 Jan 09 Sunday School Lesson SS - 1Thes4b.doc
LESSONS THIS QUARTER
1) Dec 07 1Thes 1:1-10 When You Started Out
2) Dec 14 1Thes 2:1-16 When Others Helped You
3) Dec 21 Lk 1:26-56 For Christmas
4) Dec 28 1Thes 2:17-3:13 When Others Cared For You
5) Jan 04 1Thes 4:1-12 What Is Your Goal In Life?
6) Jan 11 1Thes 4:13-18 What Hope Do You Have?
7) Jan 18 Exod; Deut; Mat; Luke Sanctity Of Life
8) Jan 25 1Thes 5:1-11 Are You Ready?
9) Feb 01 1Thes 5:12-28 Do You Get Along With Others?
10) Feb 08 2Thes 2:1-12 You Can Feel Safe
11) Feb 15 2Thes 2:1-17 You Can Stay Calm
12) Feb 22 2Thes 3:1-18 You Can Keep At It
INTRODUCTION
· Historical Premillennialism: This belief was held by a large percentage of Christians "during the first three centuries of the Christian era, and is found in the works of Papias, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Methodius, Commodianus, and Lactanitus." (Lonnie Kent York, "History of Millennialism" at: http://www.restorent.com/)
1. The Antichrist first appears on earth and the seven year Tribulation begins.
2. Next comes the Rapture.
3. Then Christ and his Church return to earth to rule for a Millennium. The forces of evil will be conquered. The faithful will live during this thousand years of peace in Jerusalem, while occupying spiritual bodies.
4. After this period, all people are judged. The faithful will spend eternity on a new earth (not in heaven).
After Christianity became the official religion of Rome in the fourth century CE, this was declared a heresy and suppressed.
· Dispensational Premillennialism: (a.k.a. Dispensationalism) Premillennialism, declared a heresy in ancient times, was reintroduced circa 1830. Most people credit John N. Darby with its resurrection. He was a minister of the Church of Ireland, a denomination in the Anglican communion, and the founder of the Plymouth Brethren. However, author Dave MacPherson claims that British pastor Edward Irving was the actual person responsible, and that a conspiracy was organized to give Darby the credit. (Dave MacPherson, "The Rapture Plot," Millennium Press, (2000)).
w Premillenialism received general acceptance by most Fundamentalists and other Evangelical Christians after the publishing of the Scofield Reference Bible in 1909. As in Historic Premillennialism, the Tribulation is believed to precede the second coming of Christ, and the subsequent establishment of the millennial kingdom -- a thousand-year golden age on Earth. The Final Judgment follows the millennium. But, theologians are divided over the timing of the Rapture (Pre, Mid, or Post-Trib)
Passage / Comments4:13 / · But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
4:14 / · For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
4:15 / · For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
4:16 / · For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
4:17 / · Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
4:18 / · Therefore comfort one another with these words.
CONCLUSIONS / LIFE APPLICATIONS
· Can we really know sound doctrine? YES
w Can we know all doctrines NO (Deut 29:29)
w Some doctrines are derived from logical deductions, and we can be dogmatic about them – e.g., Trinity, eternal security, cessation of the Apostles
w For other doctrines we have to be less dogmatic about them since we lack key information – e.g, Pre-trib rapture, do all babies go to Heaven
· When it comes to eschatology we must realize we don’t have all the facts Dan 12:9
NEXT WEEK
· Sanctity of Life Killing vs Murder
Page 1 of 2 Printed: 3 Sep 2009
FBCMW, 11 Jan 09 Sunday School Lesson SS - 1Thes4b.doc
Dispensational Pre-millennialism / Historic/Covenant Pre-millennialism / Amillennialism / PostmillennialismOverview / "A golden age of civilization...as described in the Bible...a millennial kingdom will be ushered in by a divine, supernatural and catastrophic manifestation from heaven at the Second coming of Christ....when the conditions of life have reached the depths of great tribulation." H.A. Hoyt / "After the Second coming of Christ, he will reign for a thousand years over the earth before the final consummation of God's redemptive purpose in the new heavens and the new earth of the age to come." G.E. Ladd / "...amillennialists do not believe in a literal thousand-year reign which will follow the return of Christ... the millennium of Revelation 20 is not exclusively future, but is now in the process of realization." A.A. Hoekema / "..the kingdom of God is now being extended in the world through the preaching of the gospel and the saving work of the Holy Spirit... the world eventually is to be Christianized and the return of Christ is to occur at the close of a long period of righteousness and peace, called the millenium." L. Boettner
Hermeneutics / · Whole Bible is divided into 7 dispensations/time periods in which God acts in different ways toward man.
· Interpretation must be literal whenever possible
· Interpret the New Testament by the Old Testament. (Hos. 1:9/Rom 9:25-26, Jer.31:33ff/Heb. 8) / · "Natural reading" of Revelation
· Context determines whether literal or figurative
· Interpret the Old Test. by the New Test.
· Millennium must be Christ-Centered / · Progressive Parrallellism in Revelation (Earth's history repeated 7 times) OR Pretoristic: interpret in terms of meaning to 1st century church--reassurance of Christ's victory over Roman persecutors. / · Revelation either mostly figurative or mostly fulfilled in 70ad (Mt. 24:34)
· Context determines whether literal or figurative
· Interpret the Old Testament by the New Testament.
History / Dispensationalism Espoused by Darby and the Brethren movement beginning in mid-1800's. Continues in Bible School movement and Annotated Bibles (Scoffield, Revised Scoffield, and Ryrie).
Three schools: Classical, Moderate, and Progressive. / Early church chialists (incl. Iraenus and Justin Martyr) believed in a literal earthly Premillennial reign, but generally abandoned by 400ad. Picked up by Anabaptists in 16th century Reformation / Figurative thousand years embraced by E. Orthodox church (under Origen's influence), later Espoused by Augustine and embraced by Western church by 400ad. Held by Roman Catholic church as well as by Reformers / Tychonius (350ad) was early proponent; existed side-by-side with a-mil positions in Roman and Reformation streams because differences are relatively small. Popular among non-dispensational evangelicals in the 19th century.
Three schools: Traditional, Liberal (Social Gospel) and Theonomic
Millennium / · Literal
· Spoken of throughout the Bible (Isa11: 6-9, Isa. 65: 20-25, Amos 9:15, etc.)
· Has to do with Christ's physical reign on earth before the end. (Obad. 12ff, Is. 2:3, 24:23, 33:17, 52:10, Dan.2:31, Rev. 22:1ff) / · May be literal or figurative
· Mentioned in Rev. 20 & I Cor 15:23-26
· Has to do with Christ's reign on earth before the end. / · Figurative
· Only mentioned in Rev. 20
· Has to do with the age of the church between Christ's First and Second coming, in which Christ rules from heaven.
· We are in the millennial last days (Acts 2:16, 1 Cor. 10:11, I John 2:18) / · May be literal or figurative
· Only mentioned in Rev. 20
· Has to do with a gradual appearance (Lk.17:20), of a "golden age" of earth's history in which the nations are discipled in God's ways, until the earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord (Hab. 2:14) and ends with Christ's Second coming.
New Heavens & New Earth / Realized in the earthly millennium with a curse partly lifted. (Is. 65:17)
Jewish temple rebuilt along with sacrificial system (Ez.40-48)
After millennium is merged with eternal kingdom (I Cor. 15:24ff, Rev. 21:1ff, 22:1ff) / Realized after millennial earthly reign is over and end has come / Set up at Christ's second coming, immediately after the resurrection and the judgement (Is. 65:17, 66:22, Rev. 21:1)
Resurrection / Approx. 4 Resurrections:
1. Rapture: Christ will make an incomplete appearance and take the Christians to heaven (I Thes. 4:16), sparing them from approximately seven years of severe tribulation on the earth. (Rev. 6-19). These saints are a "Spiritual Aristocracy/Nobility" who will reign with Christ. Rev. 20:4ff)
2. The second resurrection is of tribulation-era saints and O.T. saints at the beginning of the millennium (Rev. 20:4, Is.26:19ff, Dan. 12:1ff)
3. Company of saints after the millennium (I Cor. 15:23ff)
4. Finally of the wicked (Rev. 20:11ff) / 2 Resurrections as per Rev. 20, first of saints before the millennium, then of everyone else after the millennium / 1 resurrection of all the dead, as per Jn. 5:28ff & Acts 24:15.
"Resurrections" in Rev. 20 are spiritual. The "First resurrection" is the passing of the soul into God's presence, the "second death" is eternal damnation (Rev. 20:14)
Judgment / 3 judgments:
· first of the raptured believers (I Cor. 3:13ff)
· Second of the nations at the beginning of the millennium (Joel 3:2, Matt. 19:28)
· Lastly of the wicked at the end of the millennium (Rev. 20:15) / One judgement at the end
Rev. 22:12, Mt. 16:27, 25:31ff, Jude 14ff, II Thes. 1:7ff
Israel and the Church / Israel is only the physical nation. / Israel is sometimes the physical nation (Rom. 11:26) and sometimes the church (Rom 9:25-26, 4:11-16, 2:28-29, Gal. 3:729, Phil. 3:3) / O.T. Israel is the nation
N.T. Israel is the Church (Rom 2-4 and Gal 3)
The nation of Israel no longer has any spiritual significance.
2nd Coming / First a "rapture" appearance (I Thes. 4:13ff), then a full appearance 7 years later to establish an earthly millennial kingdom Rev. 19:7ff) / One appearance to establish an earthly millennial reign / One appearance to judge the earth and establish the new heavens and new earth. (I Cor 15:23-26, Matt. 25:31-46)
Problems / · Not as literal as claim to be; Can only be seen if you put on "dispensational glasses"
· Bible doesn't define tribulation as 7 years
· Not Christological
· Ethnically Jewish, inc. sacrifices (Heb. 8:13) / · Earthly reign of heavenly saints
· De-emphasizes power of Christ's victory over Satan at the cross / · 2 physical resurrections in Rev. 20 / · evil isn't abating
· Doesn't deal with Rev. 20
Sources: Lectures from Dr. Dwight F. Zeller, Sangre de Cristo Seminary and the book The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views, edited by Robert G. Clouse (IVP 1977)
Page 1 of 2 Printed: 3 Sep 2009